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I arrived at the hotel an hour ago, and no one was here, except the Davids.

Bitches!

Just kidding... I hear they are all at the top of the Space Needle.

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"Life in Lubbock, Texas, taught me two things: One is that God loves you and you're going to burn in hell. The other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love." - Butch Hancock, Musician, The Flatlanders

Nobody jumped...enough steel cable to prevent that! Wonderful views of the area and then we retired for a great group lunch at a nearby sports bar. Missing our regulars who can't be with us this year and encouraging others to join us next year for a guaranteed great time no matter where we end up!

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Brief afternoon rest before the Meet and Greet. All scheduled people are in town and in person. We had a wonderfully moving Memorial Service attended by all. Hoping more of you all will join us next year.

Gary gave a most wonderful, heartfelt and inspiring talk about living with AIDS, life in general, our spirit as humans and as always it brought not just a tear to our eyes but also joy and comfort to those fortunate enough to have attended Friday's rememberance memorial service. We remembered not just those we have lost but their lives, what they brought to us and gave us that will be eternal and the good fortune we had to know them. We also celebrated the lives of those of us who have survived and thrived and gave thanks, be it in a religious vein or through a more secular perspective, with no pressure to be in either camp. Thanks Gary for all you do to put life and death in proper perspective and give us all great hope for tomorrow and gratitude for the daily blessings we are fortunate to have, not the least of which are the wonderful friendships we have here on these forums. And thanks to all those who attended and contributed so much, such as Jan and so many other fine folks.

Jody

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"Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world". "Try to discover that you are the song that the morning brings."

The memorial service was extraordinary as usual, thanks to gary, and we sure had lots of nibbles at the meet and greet! I had lots of cocktails...loving this weather and loving my peeps at AMG! So glad they love Santi, too, this is his 4th gathering and he is family with us all.

Gary did a wonderful job with the memorial service. Tears and joy at the same time. Thanks Gary.

The meet & greet was great also. Robert--thank you for all your hard work. I got a wee bit tipsy, but did remember to close out my tab. Got to my room, got my contacts out, brushed my teeth, and was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow. I checked my receipt this a.m. and only had 4 drinks for god sake!

I've attended memorial services for way too many loved ones over the years but never left one in the positive place that Gary provided. Thank you again Gary. 25 years of emotions recapped in an hour was an emotional toll but very cathartic.

As for Seattle, I could easily live here. It's definitely a city that never sleeps and one of the funnest places I've ever been to.

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Complacency is the enemy. Challenge yourself daily for maximum return on investment.

and we should know clubbing every night, closing out the bars. ROFLdon't forget we've got another night to go, starting with that party at The Cuff tonite.

Thank you very much, Gary, for officiating at the service. All day, and even into today, thoughts about "defying gravity" have been swirling around in my head. Thank you too, Jan, for the lovely words and prayer closing out the service.

This has nothing to do with you, as you are not attending. You could have gone, but you chose not to go, so stop the whining and act like an adult. We are all sorry that you are such a self-described miserable human being, but you don't want help, you simply wish to wallow in your own self-pity. At least have the decency to allow these folks to enjoy the AMG and stop posting in this forum.

I arrived at the hotel an hour ago, and no one was here, except the Davids.

Bitches!

Just kidding... I hear they are all at the top of the Space Needle.

See, we're here for ya! ;-) Now, where is Cliff? He was supposed to be performing in our shower like in Mexico City.

Everything has been great here - the attendees are fun, locals have been very nice, hotel is wonderful (great selection), the weather is absolutely gorgeous, the memorial service was the best, most 'positive' yet, and the clubs have been fun.

We are all having a really good time. The one thing I hate about AMG is that it slowly winds down. No sooner does it start then it's time to start saying goodbye. Razorbill and Curtis leave in the morning for Vancouver. As usual I cried when hugging them both.

But tomorrow is one more day. A day of "defying gravity". I'm loving it.

You know, if people would stop responding to Larry's gratuitous pity-party postings in threads that have nothing to do with him, it would be easier to simply delete them. When people respond, it makes our job more difficult. So stop it, (or just use report if you HAVE to say something) please. Thank you.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Not a dry eye. Most everyone has gone, the bulk left this a.m a few yesterday. It's the one thing I hate about AMG---having to say goodbye. We spend months planning these gatherings and then they seem to go by so quickly. But we've had a blast.

Jan and I leave tomorrow afternoon, Jody and Mark, Louavull, & Buckmark also. Basquo and Santi will be turning the lights off when they leave on Wednesday.

Jan and I leave tomorrow afternoon, Jody and Mark, Louavull, & Buckmark also. Basquo and Santi will be turning the lights off when they leave on Wednesday.

I envy you all for the extra day; but I'm worn out and glad to be back home in my own bed. Gregg and I talked while on our layovers in Dallas and Minneapolis, respectively, and he was expecting to be back in OH about the same time James and I were landing in NC. I haven't heard from him yet, so I'm guessing he got home ok. James will be leaving from my house (where the doggies are happy to see me!) in the a.m. for the 2.5 hr back to his home.

you and Ann take care, RAB, and enjoy the rest of y'all's trip. And I hope all of you get home as safely as the rest of us did

Nope, just got home. The pilot came on and informed us we were going to be delayed for quite a while until they resolved the hydralics problems on our plane. sitting on a hot airplane in Dallas knowing we had a mechanical issue was reassuring. Thank goodness I had that little bottle of white pills that allowed me to calmly rest my eyes for the duration.

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Complacency is the enemy. Challenge yourself daily for maximum return on investment.

All good things must come to an end as they say. Meeting all of you guys has been the highlight of my summer and I look forward to seeing you and others who gather next year. I got to my home this morning after staying overnight in Charlotte at Mikie's house. Thanks again for all who made this such a special gathering!!

I miss everyone already. Not home yet -- I'm in the middle of the first leg of my flight, surfing the web at 35,000 feet.

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"Life in Lubbock, Texas, taught me two things: One is that God loves you and you're going to burn in hell. The other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love." - Butch Hancock, Musician, The Flatlanders

I'm on the coast starlight, just south of albany, oregon. We are cruising right along.Rab. Sent a text a while ago saying they were getting ready to board the cascades for home, or at least rab's home.By the way, david, of david and david, started a new tradition.He set the stage, I followed and buckmark joined in a day later.Next year, we will have to drop trou together.

I attended a fish fry tonight that my ASO held. After dinner it felt weird (and really a bit sad) to get in the car and go home. I feel like I need to go change shirts, meet up with the gang, and head up the hill for another night of drinking and dancing.

Damn! I miss y'all a lot and I'm thinking fondly of ALL of Y'ALL tonight!

I am home. Got in at 9 pm Eastern time. Piles of laundry but also wonderful memories.

There was an earthquake in Virginia today...no injuries, but quite a bit of damage. I wonder about Mike and Sid.

Behave on the train!

xxx's and ooo's

Gary

Mike and Sid are fine -- a little less water in the pool and a shaken up (no pun intended) mother, who is visiting. Scared the crap"per" out of me though....... It sounded like a 747 was coming to land on the back patio.

Miss you guys already -- laundry is done and now thinking about next year. I say we pick somewhere that takes Mark 5 days by train!!

Mike and Sid are fine -- a little less water in the pool and a shaken up (no pun intended) mother, who is visiting. Scared the crap"per" out of me though....... It sounded like a 747 was coming to land on the back patio.

Miss you guys already -- laundry is done and now thinking about next year. I say we pick somewhere that takes Mark 5 days by train!!

Hugs,Mike

I thought I was supposed to feel the earth move, since I'm still in california.It's 5:30 a.m. amnd I'm in sacramento.